Tuesday night rolled around and it was time to once again make the trek south to the Knoxville Raceway were seventy-some IMCA modifieds were set to do battle on the famed half-mile track. A picture perfect night was in store for the fans that showed up and the track appeared to be good from top to bottom, although a few ruts did find their way to the surface.
After winning the third heat in grand style, Michael Long seemed to be poised for victory as he lined up third on the grid out of the thirty starters. It didn't take him long to find his marks as he rocketed to the lead on the very first lap. Josh Foster lined up right behind Long and positioned himself into the runner up spot just three laps into the race, but he had plenty of ground to make up as Long distanced himself. A handful of laps later saw Foster coast to a stop in turn two to bring out the second caution of the race on lap ten.
When racing resumed Nebraska driver Jordan Grabouski ducked to the inside on the double file restarts and got by J.J. Wise and Ken Schrader to move into the third position. Wise would regroup and pass Mark Elliott on the inside groove to move back into the fifth spot while Eric Dailey was on the move deeper in the field. Dailey, who started seventeenth, found himself running in the eighth spot when the mandatory halfway yellow came out. Once the field was aligned in proper running order, they lined up in restart formation on the front stretch and were given a five minute "pitstop" to make changes if wanted. Several guys changed tires, most added fuel, and who knows what else went on trackside.
Two laps in to the second "half" of the race fifth-place runner J.J. Wise would lose an engine and bring out the yellow flag again. Once the green flag was displayed again Ken Schrader and Mark Elliott went at it for the runner up position with Schrader getting the edge at this point in the race. Yet another caution came with eight laps remaining, and on the restart Eric Dailey charged to the inside of Schrader to pull into the second spot. The pass would be negated by another yellow flag. Dailey would still get by Mark Elliott for third before passing Schrader on the inside a couple laps later for second. As the laps dwindled Michael Long would cruise to the apparent win, but things soon changed as he weighed three separate times and was disqualified for being too light. That handed the win over to Eric Dailey. Jordan Grabouski would finish second, Ken Schrader third, Mike VanGenderen was fourth, and Todd Shute rounded out the top five after starting eighteenth.
Six heat races and three last chance qualifiers (b-mains) were used to narrow the starting field down. The eight cautions hindered the pace of the evening as the show ran a little late. Overall I'd say the action was pretty good despite the ruts in the corners as guys would hit them wrong and mud would fly high in the air, or cars would maybe bounce off the ground momentarily.
I'd like to thank Bob Harris for the great hospitality he provided for me and my fellow PositivelyRacing counterparts. Hopefully I can make the return trip back at the end of the month as the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series for late models along with the IMCA sportmods take center stage in the second installment of the Harris Clash on Tuesday, July 26.
For a complete rundown of results, check out the Knoxville Raceway, IMCA, or Harris Clash websites.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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